Saturday 8 August, Goondiwindi. If you wanted to show someone what community rugby on the Darling Downs is actually about, you'd have driven them to Riddles Oval and pointed at the fence line.
Downs Rugby's Super Saturday delivered everything a finals day should. The conditions were as good as this region gets — still air, blue sky, a proper winter afternoon with just enough bite in it late — and a ground that held its surface from the first whistle to the last. The crowd came early, stayed all day, and by the closing fixtures was several deep along the sideline with the hill full behind them. That noise, in that town, on that ground, is the reason players drive three hours to play this competition.
[A Grade — Risdon Cup] Roma Echidnas 20 def Goondiwindi Emus 19. A one-point finals match. There is not much more to say than that — a contest that could have gone either way at any point in the second half, decided by the boot, in front of a home crowd that barely drew breath.
[B Grade — Bill Flamsteed Cup] Goondiwindi Emus 33 def St George Frillnecks 15. The Frillnecks made the Emus work for it after the break and had the margin looking a good deal narrower before Goondiwindi steadied. The Emus book their place in the grand final.
[C Grade — E S Dooney Hayes Cup] Goondiwindi Emus 34 def Roma Echidnas 24. Roma mounted a genuine comeback and got themselves right back into it, but the Emus held on for a ten-point win.
Goondiwindi Rugby Club — hosting a Super Saturday is a whole-of-club job, and it showed in every detail: the ground preparation, the canteen and bar, the parking, the gate, the way visiting clubs and travelling supporters were looked after all day. The venue did the occasion justice.
Ben Gardner and the Downs Rugby team — a finals day of this size runs on months of planning that nobody in the crowd ever sees. Draws, appointments, logistics, communication with clubs, and the hundred small decisions on the day that stop a schedule from unravelling. Ben, thank you.
Every club and every player who took the field — Goondiwindi, Roma, St George and every side that got themselves into finals contention this season. The standard of rugby was high, the contests were hard and fair, and the way the day was played reflected well on the whole region.
And especially our referees and match officials. Without them, there is no game. Not a lesser game — no game. Every one of those fixtures needed a referee, assistant referees and officials willing to put a whistle in their pocket and stand in the middle of a finals match where every decision is scrutinised by both sidelines. They did it well, and they did it because they love the game. If you were at Riddles Oval on Saturday and enjoyed the rugby, you owe some of that to them.
To the volunteers, the ground crew, the first aiders, the canteen workers, the sponsors and the families who drove the miles — thank you. This competition belongs to you.
Finals rugby on the Downs is as good as it gets. See you at the Elimination finals.
